Dear MeWEA Membership,

Over the past several days, Maine Water Environment Association (MeWEA) has been alerted to significant issues with biosolids management whereby many of our wastewater treatment facilities have been told that there is no space to take their biosolids at the state-governed landfill. Because landfills are now the only options for biosolids in Maine, we are left with an emergency situation.

Our wastewater treatment facilities cannot operate as designed and have been forced to store biosolids on site. If the situation is not resolved, facilities will violate water quality standards, through no fault of their own, and it will become a public health crisis. By the information we have been able to gather, several wastewater treatment facilities have as little as one week remaining before water quality will be impacted.

Since MeWEA was first made aware of this acute problem Thursday afternoon, it has been working to communicate the urgency of this situation to all of our governing state officials and key legislators. On Friday evening, Commissioner Loyzim disseminated a letter (attached) outlining DEP’s directives on how to manage this ongoing situation.

While it appears we have a short term solution, it is imperative that you please write to your legislators about this emergency and share the urgency needed to develop a collaborative, sustainable and more long-term solution.
If you have questions about this communication, please contact Maine Water Environment Association, myself at [email protected] or our Government Affairs Committee at meweagovaffairs.com.

Hawk Ridge storage approval 022423 (PDF)

Tim Wade

President

Maine Water Environment Association